May 30, 2012 Military Aviation News

Despite recent reports, the U.S. remains ahead of the Russians when it comes to the next generation of naval warfare — namely, hosting sporting events on aircraft carriers.
English-language all-Russian-news site RT.com reported Monday that the Major Hockey League, which is actually a minor hockey league (those wacky Russians) to the big-time KHL, is planning to hold a game on a flattop anchored in the Gulf of Finland.

THE military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) market will mushroom over the decade through 2020, according to international consultancy Frost & Sullivan, with its value forecast to grow by 60 per cent to US$7.3 billion. The Asia-Pacific is expected to lead this surge, propelled by regional force modernisation programmes and supported by sustained economic growth.

Japan may become the fourth country after the U.S., Russia and China to possessits own fighter of the fifth generation. The new fighter, relatively small in size and weight, will become the first battle plane, constructed without assistancein Japan over the past seven decades. In the beginning of May, Japan placed an order for the delivery of the first four F-35 fighters made in the United States.

Airbus Military is growing its product line with new developments, such as gunships and airborne early warning aircraft, and is improving its existing offerings, such as the C295, as it adapts to changing market conditions. Airbus Military, at its annual Trade Media Briefing in Spain, attended by defenceWeb, said that the military market for transport, special mission and tanker aircraft is a very irregular one with plenty of ups and downs and is compounded by shrinking military budgets.

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will manufacture a Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA) with a Russian partner primarily for the Indian and Russian air forces, the state-run defence behemoth said on Tuesday. 'The twin-engine aircraft in 15-20 tone class will be designed, co-developed and manufactured for cargo/troop transportation; para-drop/air drop of supplies, including low altitude parachute extraction system,' HAL chairman R.K. Tyagi said in a statement here.

Guam - A C-130 military cargo aircraft landed at North Field just before noon today [Wednesday]. It was the first time since after World War II in 1947 that a U.S. military plane landed on the airfield. The landing at North Field, the Saipan Tribune reports, is considered one of the highlights in the ongoing Exercise Geiger Fury 2012 on Tinian, with 150 to 175 personnel from Marine Aircraft Group-12 out of Iwakuni, Japan participating.

China hopes to sell up to 300 Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder fighters in Africa and the Middle East over the next five years. This target was revealed by a spokesman from China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), the country's military aircraft export agency, in an email to Flightglobal.

While addressing West Point’s newest graduates last weekend, Vice President Joseph R. Biden praised the gathered cadets as “leaders of your generation” and “the key to whatever challenges the world has in store.” For full disclosure’s sake, Mr. Biden should have added: “For the foreseeable future, however, the advanced weapons and military systems you’ll use in training and in combat will remain shot through with unreliable counterfeit electronics parts.

Taipei, May 29 (CNA) F-35 stealth fighters are the new-generation combat aircraft that best serve Taiwan's air defense needs, a military official said Tuesday, the latest hint that the government may not be as keen to acquire advanced F-16 C/D fighters as once thought. The F-35s, with their short takeoff capability, would bolster the country's defense capabilities, as airports are likely to be destroyed by enemy forces in the event of war.